Gremory: Duchess of Hell
by JstaSimpleWriter
Summary: "I want to stomp on the family that disowned me." Though she had power of her own, in addition to having only Sairog match up to her in a physical fight, the Underworld disregarded those achievements because the Power of Destruction holds more sway. After being shunned by the Gremory and Bael family, Sylvia Lyyneheym wants to found a new family to stand up with the current ones.
1. Chapter 1

**New story. Kind of a side project, more of a "free" story than my current SCP one, because of the way I wrote the SCP story, I haven't had much to fulfill my fantasies of Sylvia and...nevermind.**

**_Anyways_, the most of the original ORC will stay in the ORC, only select characters will be in Sylvia's peerage. Chapters will be shorter overall, but I do hope it is as good as my SCP story in terms of quality.**

**As with my SCP story, I will exclude characters from the story, as the focus isn't entirely DxD canon. I will admit I have no real goal for the story other than "Sylvia will found a new family branch." I'm writing more because I want to than anything.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DxD, that is an undisputable fact.**

**Enjoy.**

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"Shirone," Ethan called, "Duck."

The tiny, cat-like woman dropped to the floor as he quickly drew his sword, the Iaijutsu slicing off a limb of the devil.

_"__**You stupid fool!"**_

His eyes traced the remaining hand reaching out for him and with a torrent of slashes, shredded the arm into pulp.

_**"Wha-"**_ The dead eyes widened in disbelief and it snarled before running at the man full speed.

Before he could do anything, a disembodied voice stoically said, "I'll do it."

He kept his hand still as the nekoshou ran in front of him, grabbing the chin of the devil and launching it forward.

Ethan jumped straight in, the teeth missing him by a hair. Grimacing at the stench at the throat of the stray, he drew his sword again and sliced through the robust body, severing the devil's spine.

Dropping atop of the corpse, Ethan swung his legs playfully. "How's the exercise?"

"...Fun."

The girl was watching him as she held the arm the size of nearly three buses. Though her face showed almost no emotion, Ethan knew it was of something bordering being upset, "Something up?"

"I wanted to be called Koneko."

Ethan tilted his head, "I did, didn't I?"

"...You called me Shirone," she answered.

"Ah," he responded, "My bad."

"Nya~" Koneko responded, almost as if a scoff, a noise of distaste.

He dialed a number and someone picked up on the fifth ring, waiting on the message."

"Ethan Sakamoto, Team Duo, we're done with our job. Cleanup crew on Yoshino Sector."

_[Are you a hermit?]_

"No, just a workaholic," he responded to the question, which promptly got the messenger on the other end to hang up.

Before long, a group of six appeared and began cleaning up the mess.

As Ethan watched, he noted that two were magicians and four were similar to him, in terms of physical ability and magic makeup.

Everyone in the organization were essentially contract killers, and the employees were the ones who reined in any exposure. Despite their civilian looks, Ethan knew they were contenders for 'strongest human' if they chose to, even stronger than Cao Cao, a well known champion of the Humanities Championship.

Rarely have they ever shown their abilities, but in the single time he did, Ethan felt compelled to stay in line.

Of course they had to be strong. The organization needed the manpower to keep things running smoothly, after all.

"Ethan," he turned around at the voice, a seventh man counting and calculating the 'bonus' for this job. "...In the end, you'll be rewarded seventy million yen."

A little more than six-hundred and forty thousand in United States dollars for them to split.

Ethan nodded, "Thanks, Hideki."

The man nodded and approached the team, waving his hand to dismiss Ethan as he did so.

Though he could have stayed, Ethan knew these men would have no trouble defending themselves.

If they encountered trouble, it is because they intentionally allowed themselves to.

They strolled silently beside each other, walking down an unfamiliar path before approaching one they knew, tracing their way to their 'home' at the World's End, a tavern in plain sight inside Kuoh, but visible only to certain people.

People with power, like them.

Those who could hold a candle to supernatural beings, allies or enemies.

They entered the tavern, getting quick glances from its occupants, but then were dismissed soon after. They were regulars, as the World's End is essentially the "hub" for the organization, very much like _the_ Guild in every RPG game or story.

"Garo," Ethan addressed when the two of them sat down. "Could we order the usual?"

The red-skinned demon smiled, his tattoos shifting with the grin. Appearance-wise, he was very similar to that red-skinned Dathomirian Zabrak male who used a "staff" laser sword in the Galaxy far, far away.

But rather than having multiple horns around his head, he had simply two, and a mess of shaggy, black hair. His eyes, contrary to many written descriptions of Demons, he had white eyes, appearing yellow only because of his colored glasses.

"Why of course!" The Demon answered, and went to relay the order to his chefs. He returned shortly after and asked, "Drinks?"

"Just water this time for me," Ethan replied.

"...Water."

Garo nodded with a smile and poured them their beverages, placing a placard on the table as the two left their places to inspect the "mission board."

"You want an easier mission, this time?" Ethan asked, "I've been picking the high priority ones, but we can relax a bit with escorting a convoy."

"...That one," Koneko pointed at one ranked only for A-ranked and higher Reputation, requiring even Garo's specific say so before the mission could be undertaken.

Ethan raised an eyebrow as he read the message:

**Ordered on May 8th**

_Objective: Kill Sylvia Lyyneheym/(Also known as Sylvia Gremory)_

_Rank: A-Ranked Reputation minimum, SSS-Ranked Reputation Recommended_

_Details: Rescinded, confer with Garo_

_**The Provost Captain, Garo, must give approval before this job can be taken.**_

_**-Curie**_

_Gremory...I know that name somewhere._

He had his doubts about this job, if he were honest, and voice his concern to Koneko, who shook her head solemnly, "We must take it."

"Why?" He returned to reading the vague page, seeing that it was shifted to the very right of the mission board. This meant that this was the oldest mission available. Hell, the posted date showed that nobody had accepted it(or Garo refused to approve of it) for at least a week. It shows one of two things:

1\. The details, or lack thereof, scared off many Hunters.

2\. The mission itself put the Hunter at a high risk, and Garo's scary judge of talent meant nobody was up for the job.

"Good things will come."

"If I refuse?" he asked.

"I will ask Garo myself."

He scowled, it wasn't often that Koneko was adamant in her decision. And she could take the mission alone, they weren't tied by blood or a sworn promise, much less a party system, she just chose to join him once he found her abandoned and hunted by poachers.

"Alright," Ethan tore down the notice and brought it to his place, which now had a plate of steak seasoned and rare, covered in the house's one of many secret sauces, along with a baked potato, steaming hot with a bit of sour cream and onion slipped into a cut wedge.

Ethan had a pizza one foot in diameter, coming in with the classic Supreme ingredients, along with onions, garlic, and more pepperoni. Asiago cheese was put on the top as a light layer, in addition to the parmesan on top of the tomato sauce.

Garo smiled and nodded as Ethan slid the page over to him, frowning when he saw the page on the right side empty.

He knew exactly what mission was being requested and didn't like it.

"Ethan, I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline that. You're not entirely ready for this, and yes, I have declined stronger people than you."

Ethan pursed his lips and glanced at Koneko, "It's been almost two weeks. I though the Sicar doesn't do missions."

Garo shook his head, "Incorrect. They _do_, but only after missions like these have been up for over a month. This was gone for at least two already."

"What?"

He nodded, "It was originally posted in the Underworld, but brought up _here_, we even arranged Sicar members to resolve the issue, but that was not what the client wanted."

"The client?" Garo grimaced at the question.

"It's...complicated."

"...Please?" Koneko spoke up, "Can we do this?"

"I'm sorry," Garo replied. Koneko seemed to float a strange magic over the room, not threatening, nor persuading magically, but it seemed to show Garo _something_. He sighed and shook his head, "I think I'll regret this."

He turned to Ethan, "Do you want me to call the client now?"

Ethan looked at Koneko, who was somehow halfway done through the steak during the conversation, "No...I want Koneko to finish her meal and then stay hidden with her Senjutsu."

"What?...No," Koneko argued, "I want to talk to her."

"Absolutely not," Ethan replied, "Not tonight. When I meet her, I want the advantage of her believing I am alone."

She paused, considering the options. Koneko was clearly unhappy, but she seemed to understand the reasoning, "...Okay, fine. I will move there."

Koneko pointed to a table nearby. Ethan looked at the seat then at her, "If we go somewhere else?"

She smiled, "...I follow, then. Besides, I know she might be able to sense me, better to chance eavesdropping here than suspicious off the bat."

Ethan nodded, "Got it."

Koneko hopped off the seat and began moving as Garo made the call to Curie, the Administrator of the entire Sicar.

"Oh, Koneko." She turned, "Remind me to get you some treats of your choice once this mission is done."

She brightened, but it was replaced almost instantly with her stoic expression, "...Nya~"

Ethan had just begun his second slice when someone slid into the seat beside him.

"Mind if I get a slice?"

Ethan turned to see a girl with mauve hair, sporting a frilly, sleeveless maroon blouse with a v-neck that ended just around the curve of her breasts, giving any male a good view of them if they peered down. Her black skirt was pleated, accompanied with a teal inside, the front dropping just below mid-thigh while the back ended at her ankles.

Her violet eyes met his and as he took in the hair and sharp, observing gaze, he realized why everything was so complicated.

Sylvia Lyyneheym, former heiress to the renowned Gremory family, was hiring someone to kill herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter will be released a little earlier than I planned. For release dates, it'll be much quicker than my SCP one(every 1-2 weeks compared to once a month). A little earlier than usual only because I didn't mention this in the first chapter. Probably should have...So if I forget anything, you'll have to wait at least a week until the next one.  
**

**Now, why? Frankly, the chapters are pretty short and you guys will breeze through it quickly. Not to mention every chapter is a "scene," pretty much. Not a lot to take in, so I want to make sure the time isn't too long in between updates.**

**Reviews:  
**

**The 18th Avatar: **Apologies, but Issei won't be with Sylvia(rather Irina instead). I've had some of the story planned ahead of time and the pairings were one of them, along with the order of the initial arcs.**  
**

**Guest: **Thanks, I won't be giving too much information dumps, but hopefully you'll like her as the story progresses.

**desropter: **I won't be doing harem pairings, for Sylvia, Ethan, or Issei, so don't worry about that(and those who want a harem will need to worry, sorry...). Also, if you were looking for OCxIssei, it isn't happening, apologies for that.

**Disclaimer: I don't own DxD.**

**Hope the story will be worth reading. Until next chapter.**

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**On a final note, anyone following me and seeing this chapter, the next SCP chapter should go live on the end of July at the latest. It is done, but I kind of want to begin a chapter or couple ahead first, to give me time to work on the future chapter for this one.**

* * *

Their gazes met for a long time, before Ethan nodded and said, "Go ahead."

Sylvia beamed, and he noted it was a genuine smile, as if she were expecting him to tell her to fuck off.

"Danke~" She took a smaller slice and Ethan filed that away. Cautious or keeping from being rude. He took the next one, leaving her two choices:small size, or the largest in the pizza.

Garo's eyes shifted over to him and he smirked before turning around to attend to another customer.

"Is there a reason you're hiring someone to kill yourself?" Ethan asked as he took a large bite which caused Sylvia to cough and choke on the portion she was chewing.

_I might not even have to do anything,_ he thought in awe as he watched her struggle for air.

He calmly took another bite as Garo watched the two with regret.

Garo was one of the Provost Captains who valued life, whether human, Demon, Devil, Angel, Fallen Angel, or even Yokai, provided the entity didn't endanger his clients.

Ethan himself was concerned, he heard of the elder sister of Gremory make huge advancements in the Underworld, beside Sairog Bael, and she didn't seem to be a person who took lives indiscriminately.

The opposite, really.

Then again, this was his first time meeting her, so he could be completely off the mark.

Koneko looked over in concern, and Ethan met her gaze.

_Don't do anything,_ he thought. Then realized that her gaze was penetrating.

Disapproving. _Oh shit, she wanted to talk to Sylvia, huh?_

Sylvia attempted bent back against the counter, pressing her fist to her diaphragm as Ethan reluctantly approached, turning her around and bending her over.

She began to struggle but Ethan hissed, "I'm helping, I'm _**helping**_, fucking stop."

She gasped for air, hissing something. He thought she was making some comment, but she said something else entirely.

Koneko had launched over her table at the person approaching the bar as a guttural scream filled the room, the patrons standing up at the noise, and Ethan saw they were reacting to someone else.

_"Assassins are here." _Sylvia had said.

Garo had grabbed the arm of the new customer he was attending do, twisting it in a circle and breaking it, a magical dagger, enchanted to essentially be non-existent, was held in his hand, his other hand pressing the woman's head so hard into the counter it creaked and bent.

Nonhuman then, as a human's would have been crushed to a pulp with his strength.

That dagger served as an assassin's weapon, as it didn't show up on human or magical detection. Unless the assassin was actively using it, it couldn't be seen or perceived, even through premonitions or actual visions into the future. If it wasn't in use, it didn't exist. Period.

This meant these were top-of-the-line assassins. _Or,_ as Ethan looked around, _Just very wealthy ones_.

Koneko sat atop of a man, bending him backward at the spine, an arm around his neck while pulling. He screeched and slapped the ground, but Koneko held firm, "Stay still and I won't break your spine."

Ethan felt Sylvia's hand grabbed his wrist and she leaned close, muttering a request. He looked at the final man, who had his hands up as the five patrons kept their weapons trained on him.

He nodded, eyes on the unrestrained man.

Ethan was instructed to have a knife hand aimed at her chest, and Sylvia held her palms on his elbow.

Feeling the power flowing through, he nodded and she returned the nod before he stabbed.

His hand almost hit her chest when a serpent materialized from within her body, poking out from her collarbone, and quickly leapt right at him. He was saved, as Sylvia acted faster than even the snake, snatching it out of the air right on the neck and quickly cracked it as if wielding a whip, killing it instantly.

"Fucking Constrictors," Sylvia muttered as soon as she could speak again.

More assassination tools, and very high end.

Heljikadors, or called Constrictors due to its similarity to its real world counterparts, were treasured living weapons for assassinations.

They weren't rare, per se. They were the best magical creature for a completely accidental death. It acted exactly as a snake would(this meaning docile)but this could change by the will of its owner. It is normally visible, but it could become invisible with no effort whatsoever, and it acts so slowly, it is very difficult to detect it, even when it is killing you.

As with Sylvia just now, but she seemed to have a good extent of knowledge on magical creatures to know it was a Constrictor. Garo was the first to say something after the chain of events, "You made a mistake thinking that a room full of humans meant you can kill someone within a neutral zone."

The voice was filled with venom, a tone Ethan never heard before.

He raised the woman's head to meet his directly, "Do you know the universally agreed rules among all races in the Sicar's hubs?"

He smiled as her wide eyes met his, "No killing permitted_** inside.**_ We even give leniency for those who assassinate outside these very doors, but a job executed inside this building is absolutely forbidden. You made a poor choice coming to the World's End. This is the last place of the Sicar's you want to find yourself in trouble."

Out of thin air, humans who appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary person materialized. "We'll take the violators to prison, Provost."

The Demon flung the woman back in disgust, fixing his bar as the humans began to bind the woman and the male Koneko subdued.

They reached the male who was left unharmed and Sylvia held up a hand, "Wait."

The man glared at her, eyeing the snake in her hand, "I'm not answering anything."

She caught the accent and smiled, "May I interrogate him?"

One human said, "No offensive actions threatening the life of another person is allowed."

Sylvia seemed unhappy, "Even if he was the one who sicked a Constrictor on me?"

"Correct."

"Breaking a finger or two is fine?"

"No offensive actions threatening the life of another person is allowed," he repeated.

Sylvia smiled, wondering if the loophole was intentional. Ethan didn't even see her move when he heard the snap of a bone breaking, and the man began to scream as he held his hand.

Nobody in the Sicar's Trjoyepla team moved, and Ethan sighed a breath of relief.

Inwardly, of course. Though he wished the chance to fight her would go away, Koneko still seemed eager to talk to her.

"Can I guess where you came from? Exalt? Crimena? Excalita?" She put her hands behind her back, smiling as she leaned forward, "Or maybe even Rubina?"

The man spat but Sylvia was unfazed, simply closing her eyes when she saw him wind up. "Fuck you, whore. Only such disgraceful filth would confer with humans for assistance. Even for a suicide."

She opened her eyes after the saliva landed, and he stumbled back at her eyes, but he didn't go far as he bumped into a Trjoyepla, who pulled him up and pushed him forward.

The bright eyes seemed to lose their life completely, turning into dark voids that could drain the life out of you. "I can't believe my family seriously hired the worst assassins. Rubina is expensive, but much like my family, they have their heads up their asses, thinking they're the best just because they can pay for expensive equipment."

Sylvia smiled, ignoring the liquid running down her cheek, "If you were Excalita, I would have had some sort of compassion for you."

She draped the dead serpent over the man's shoulders and patted his head, "Maybe you can choose a better organization next time, like the Sicar."

She walked back to Ethan, still having the dead look and smile, before turning around. "Oh, if I see you guys again, I'll be sure to check my body for snakes before I rip your throats out and shove them up your asses," she added. In the blink of an eye, the male Koneko stopped disappeared, but before the second male could, he threw an arm out, casting a torrent of flame towards Sylvia and Ethan.

Sylvia raised a hand, which Ethan smacked down with his sheathed sword, because the impressive fire disappeared in a second, a Trjoyepla having dissipated it with a touch, and as another glanced at the man, both his arms disappeared.

Not cut or pulverized. Simply disappeared. He looked around in confusion before he screamed in shock.

"This is to prevent you from trying again. If you would like to continue using spoken spells, we would gladly remove your mouth too."

He became quiet instantly, "Your arms will be returned to you once you have been securely locked in a cell. For the time being, we will be in possession of your arms."

Ethan heard Sylvia swallow, and the final two assassins disappeared without a trace.

She glanced at him, "That was..."

"Entertaining? Impressive?"

"Unnerving," she said softly, her eyes turning from black to lilac, over the span of a few seconds. "I had some fun during the fight, but I never heard of _anybody_ simply plucking your arms off and act as if they took your weapon."

"Those are the Trjoyepla," Ethan replied. "The humans here are strong, but those guys are a whole different league. Demi-gods, I can guess. Not even our best humans can do that."

She closed her eyes, face pale, "I can tell."

Ethan pressed a napkin into her hand as he eyed Koneko leaving, who turned around and saw him staring. She tapped her wrist twice and pointed on the floor before leaving the door.

_I'll be waiting nearby._

Sylvia nodded her thanks and wiped the spit from her face, "So, you're still interested in my request?"

"I'm more interested in _why_," Ethan said as he sat down. "All those organizations you mentioned work for the supernatural or are composed of supernatural. You're Gremory and you mention-"

She gently pressed her finger to his lips, leaning forward to give a good view down her shirt, if he so chose to look. "Hold onto that thought, okay?"

He eyed her curiously as she pulled back, sighing, "I don't think you need to know. Not unless this pans out. If it doesn't, we won't see each other again. Ever."

"Is there a reason?" he asked.

"Because if you don't live up to my expectations," she smiled, "there's no reason for me to talk to you."

"Mhm...Are there any conditions, or can I just kill you when we walk out the door?"

"Conditions," she smiled, "Of course. But more to keep you at ease than restricting."

He tilted his head, and she continued. "So this town, Kuoh, I believe we are in the Plehfo Sector of Japan, right?"

Ethan nodded, knowing the boundaries, approximately the size of New York's Long Island, "What about it?"

"I won't leave this sector, and therefore, you won't have to when searching for me," she answered. "I have a home here because the Gremory family owns one, but its a place they never use. So I will be living there."

She smiled, "If you can find that home, you'll have an easier time at night."

Ethan frowned, "Can't you just leave and lead me on, then?"

"Well...normally people don't stay somewhere else during the night if they have a home, right?"

"Normally, people don't have assassin's breathing down their necks. Is your own home in the Underworld safe?" Ethan answered back.

She sighed, "Touche. I'll be taking that in consideration." Sylvia began reaching for the smaller slice, again.

"You can take a larger slice, if you want. I can't finish all of this anyway."

She seemed surprised and he could see the appreciation on her face. Sylvia eagerly took the giant wedge and answered, "You're right about my own home being unsafe. But do you want to have me make it even more difficult?"

"I don't want a win handed to me."

She gave it some thought as she ate through the slice, absently smiling as she chewed. Ethan quietly took another as she was finishing. Sylvia took a third slice and finally answered, "Okay, I'll leave randomly. Not too often, not too rarely."

"Got it." Ethan nodded, "So if I win, how do I get paid?"

"I'll give you the card you can turn in to Garo, everything I have is there." She saw his face and smiled, "Fifty million in USD, all yours."

He blinked. "So if I lose, you find another person."

"And you lose out on fifty million," Sylvia grinned. "And the money you can get from the Devils paying for that bounty. About...another ten million."

"If I win and don't choose to kill you?"

She seemed surprised and shook her head, "It's too complicated to let me live." Sylvia seemed to be lost in thought, getting another slice, "I can't find anyone to join my peerage because I'm a fucking reject. I don't want to spend the rest of my life fighting assassins. I want to die. Simple."

She seemed on the verge of tears, "After five years of looking over your shoulder, tell me how you feel, yeah?"

Sylvia shook her head, "I don't want to suffer that way any longer."

He stared at her, eyes narrowed. Eventually, she ate through five slices while waiting for his questions. When no more came, she began reaching for a pocket, "Okay. I'll pay for your meal."

"It's fine," Ethan replied. "Not expensive."

"It's for my thanks," she insisted urgently.

"You can easily by giving a hunt," Ethan replied. "It's fine."

Her eyes met his and he felt a spark ignite. Shunting aside the emotions, he assured himself he will worry about that later. After he killed her.

His regrets will come once he steals the money off her body.

Her hand was on his thigh and she was leaning forward, as if she herself wanted to make a move on him, but hesitant.

He brought out a wallet and dropped enough money to pay for three, nearly four, meals. Sylvia counted and frowned as Garo picked up the money.

"That's-"

"Place is expensive, but I make enough money to pay it off easily." Ethan was paying for Koneko too, but she was his ace up his sleeve. The spy, a kitten to be dismissed as a normal cat.

She didn't need to know.

"If you're sure..." she said before hopping off the stool, and looked back before she left.

At the door, she turned around. "Oh, Ethan?"

"Yeah?"

"If anybody else kills me, you'll lose the fifty million too. Technically." She winked, "That doesn't mean you can't kill them though."

He smiled, understanding her suggestion. She pushed the door open, glancing outside and checking the surroundings before looking back.

"You didn't want an easy win. If I see you, be fucking certain I'll fight for my life."

She vanished into thin air after finishing, and Ethan hopped off his stool, ready for a hunt he's never done before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, here's the newest chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

Shortly after Sylvia left, Ethan headed upstairs and found the locker that he and Koneko shared. With the scan of his hand and eyes, he was allowed access.

Ethan stuffed his sword into his duffle bag before grabbing everything he and Koneko bring with them outdoors.

"You can turn into a kitten, right?"

Koneko cast her eyes downward and shifted on her feet, "Do I have to do it? I don't like using my abilities like that."

Ethan ruffled her hair, "If you don't want to do it, it's fine. It'll just make the job harder for both of us."

She looked up and he turned around, "Chase after Sylvia and keep an eye on her, but keep yourself invisible. I'll be close behind."

Koneko nodded, unsure.

"You know my scent?" She was more confident in this answer. "Alright, if you need help, get to me. I can't follow her because she _knows_ me."

He scowled as he gave it thought. "I don't like banking on the fact she doesn't remember you. That's why I want you to become a kitten and mark her. So you can track her with your scent."

He looked over his shoulder and smiled as she raised her head, "But if you need time to recover from the bad memories, I won't force you to transform. Let's go."

"I'll do it," Koneko said softly, "I just mark her?"

"Preferably, I'd like you to stick with her as a kitten to defend her, while I can track _you_," Ethan answered, "But this one is your choice."

Koneko only looked at him with her blank expression before she trot off, "...I'll mark her, and only mark."

"Okay, thanks," he smiled.

He followed loosely behind, barely keeping the white back in sight as it drew further and further away.

Soon, the kitten herself was gone, and all that was left was a faint sense of familiarity. It went off somewhere to the right, and Ethan lost the trace. Because of that, he had to slow down and find a place to sleep in.

While he could return to his home, he didn't know if it would make him vulnerable to Sylvia. The rules were set to kill _her_ and she would fight in self-defense, but it was never stated if the hunt can go both ways. Maybe it did, so he'll stay alert.

He hid Koneko from her, so he would bet that she hid her own things from him.

He glanced up at the sign rising up in the distance and smiled.

_Hotel it is, then._

* * *

Sylvia was trotting down the road, finding her way home.

She took out a cellphone and paused, hesitant to turn it on.

_Ethan doesn't have a way to track me this way, right?_

She slowed and looked around, cautious. With a breath, she powered on the device, waiting on it to load the lock screen. A crash startled her and she heard a tiny mewl and narrowed her eyes, before seeing a kitten rolling off a near empty trash can.

"Nyan~" The innocent cry made her smile as it approached cautiously.

A tiny, scared animal in a cruel world.

Just like her.

Sylvia knelt and it approached, stopping a few feet away, leg lifted and poised, staring at her with large eyes.

"I won't bite," she whispered. The kitten took another step and was soon jumping up, rubbing the length of its body against her outer thigh. She rubbed its head and it pulled away, afraid.

It ran down the sidewalk behind her, but stopped and turned around, eyeing Sylvia carefully.

Sylvia smiled and began walking again, not wanting to stay for too long.

She checked her phone and punched in an address that was close, but not hers. Sylvia saw her home wasn't too far away from where she was now and picked up her pace.

Looking back, she saw the kitten following but stopped when she turned, and couldn't help but smile.

_Too cute_.

She squatted again, and the kitten slowly approached, rubbing itself against her again before allowing itself to be picked up.

It wasn't big, but it wasn't small, its length went from the tips of her fingers to her elbow and while its height was a little taller than the length of her hand.

She clutched it close to her and scratched its head as it purred. Reaching home without incident, she woke up the feline and placed it on the porch, "You can stay out here if you want."

It looked out onto the yard, the grass overgrown and reaching past the waist, hiding numerous number of threats from view.

It turned around and waltzed in, as if saying _I think I'll stay inside._

Sylvia laughed and closed the door behind her as the cat hopped up onto a table and laid down. "You want to know where I sleep so you can come to me if you need anything?"

It rose its head up, blinking twice, swishing its tail back and forth before standing unsteadily and hopping down.

It stuck with Sylvia's pace until she reached her room and made sure the kitten knew. But it seemed to concentrate on the window near her bed, and quickly scrambled forward as if scalded by hot water.

It leapt onto the sill and watched, the hairs on its back and tail raised.

Sylvia felt dread, she should have made sure nobody was following. Now she was going to pay for that mistake.

She peered out the window cautiously, but it seemed the kitten only sensed danger and it didn't seem imminent. It sat there, its tail stiff, watching outside. A tiny guardian of the home.

Sylvia sighed as the feline relaxed, laying its head down on its legs as its tail flicked back and forth.

She found the sight peaceful, the tail swinging like a pendulum, hypnotizing as it went back and forth, back and forth. The moonlight glistened off its fur as it watched.

_Or maybe waiting for someone?_

Suspicion filled Sylvia's mind and she sat up, and the movement seemed to frighten the cat, its head whipping around before it darted towards the doorway, turning its head around when it stopped.

"You belong to someone?" It waited on something, and Sylvia felt no change in the air.

"Nya?" it mewled.

"Are you a he or she?" It stalked up close, laying down at the side of the bed, looking up at her with those large eyes. "Boy?" Nothing, "Or girl?"

It blinked and sneezed, before looking at her again.

No reaction. Cats didn't speak a human language. Something she expected, but still surprised at the stoic look it gave her, one that was no longer scared.

* * *

Ethan waited a long time for Koneko to return, well past midnight was when he began to worry.

She had marked Sylvia a long time ago, as he felt a presence of two feline auras a certain point after checking in, but when an hour passed, it was far too long for "only marking" Sylvia.

The auras vanished and he couldn't help but worry.

He knew Koneko would easily escape if she wanted to, and the fact that she hadn't found him meant she was safe where she was right now.

Still, it worried him.

_Maybe she decided to speak to Sylvia after all._

That honestly bothered him more than Koneko being in danger. Because if she _didn't _reveal herself, she had a _**chance**_ of being in danger when caught between assassins and Sylvia.

If Koneko _did _reveal herself, Sylvia would eventually find out Koneko worked with Ethan, after recognizing the Nekoshou, and Koneko _**will definitely be**_ in danger.

Ethan got out of bed, no point in trying to sleep when he couldn't.

Unsticking his shirt from his back, he grabbed a whetstone and the sword, bringing them to the bathtub inside his room.

He turned up the tap and let the water run, before running the mindless routine ground into him since he remembered.

_Grind, grind, rinse, grind._

Again and again until the blade was sharp, grabbing the cloth and mashed together the quantities of ingredients his teacher had taught him for the mixture to clean the blade.

Once he was finished, the blade looked as if it were new.

He split his skin at the tip of his thumb, always feeling comfort from testing the blade that way, and sheathed the blade in the leather scabbard, wrapping a bandage around his thumb, and headed out.

He didn't know how long he had until he failed his request to kill Sylvia, but he would end it tomorrow night.

_Sylvia will die before the week ends._


	4. Chapter 4

**I'll be going back to university in about two weeks from now. I have more than several chapters typed up ahead of time, but I just want to let you guys know now, since it doesn't feel right to leave this empty.**

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**I forgot to address a review in the last chapter, apologies.**

**yogap34712 -**

Issei will join Sylvia's peerage, don't worry. That's set in stone. The entire setup arc I have set already. I'm just deciding on what to do after.

**.**

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**As a final note, I might make the chapters longer than the current ones, here's the first combined chapter.**

* * *

Though he still had the hotel booked for 2 days, Ethan left the room with everything he had, since he knew he would return.

But in case, he dialed a number, the person on the other end picking up on the second ring.

_[Darren's Lounge, how may I help you?]_

"Hey Garo," he answered, "I might not return to Littleton Hotel to check out, think you can send someone and ring up my account?"

_[Ah, of course. Just tell me all I need to know.]_

Ethan rattled off the information and Garo said his goodbye shortly after Ethan gave his gratitude, and with that, he set off towards the location he guess Koneko went, based on the direction her scent vanished.

He wandered patiently, considering he had the whole day to find Koneko before he should really begin panicking.

On his aimless wandering, he ran into a plaza populated with people. It wasn't hard to recognize Hokkaido Centre, the "tour spot" of Kuoh. Ethan considered buying a sandwich to eat on-the-go, Japanese culture frowning about that practice be damned.

In his search for a cheap restaurant, he barely noticed a teenage male hurrying to meet someone.

"Woah!" Ethan called and the boy looked up, stopping in time.

"Ah, sorry!" The teen apologized in Japanese, which Ethan mentally translated into English, as with any non-English language.

He recognized the uniform the teen wore, the black trousers, with a white Oxford shirt and black blazer on top of it, both unbuttoned.

The only anomaly to the Kuoh Academy uniform was his red t-shirt, which matched the color of blood.

It seemed to match his white skin and brown features, his brown hair tousled-though he did make an attempt to comb it-and brown eyes full of life.

"No problem," Ethan replied. "Hm, there's no school this Saturday and you don't seem to be going to Saturday school. On a date today?"

The teen was shocked at the quick deduction and nodded, "Yeah."

He smiled, "I see. Have fun. Hope you can get it to work out."

"Alright. Thanks, old man." He realized he might have made a mistake and quickly began to correct himself, "I didn't mean any-"

"No worries," Ethan laughed, "I'm sure you meant no harm. Besides, after you turn eighteen, you lose your life so fast you might as well be an old man in your twenties."

The teen sighed a breath of relief, and called to Ethan, "Hey, uh. If you have the time, could you guide me to the Tanahex Arcade?"

Ethan nodded, pointing the direction he was headed in, "You're going the wrong way."

The teen returned an embarrassed look and followed Ethan, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Ethan Sakamoto."

"That's an odd mix," he answered.

"Japanese parents, but I was born and raised in the US," he said simply. "Yours?"

"Issei Hyoudou," he responded. "How come you came here? Any specific reason?"

"I initially came here for a job," Ethan answered. "Eventually decided to pick this place as home if I'm not travelling."

"Travelling? Where have you gone? Your parents?" He noticed that Issei was very eager to learn, probably from never having left this small town his entire life.

"Yeah. World traveller. Been to Egypt, Indonesia, Germany. Though if I were to pick my favorite place, I'd say here." Issei seemed surprised at the choice.

"Why?"

"Lively in places like this plaza," Ethan answered. "But very quiet in every residential areas."

"Oh."

"Yeah, not saying being a world traveler is _bad_, it's just that you learn so much that you figure things out."

Ethan opted to withhold the fact that Kuoh is where the World's End resides, along with the Sicar's gateway to the various places in the world, such as the Underworld and Heaven.

"How about you? What school do you attend?"

Issei was amazed Ethan was interested. "Kuoh Academy."

"That one all-female academy that just opened up to male students?" Ethan asked once he made sure there was a break in the crowd.

He blushed and nodded.

"I heard the exam is one of the more difficult ones," he continued. "Regardless of your reason for joining Kuoh, definitely have the smarts for that school."

Issei was mortified, "It wasn't difficult, since I learned those lessons already in a different school."

"Then you're a good learner!" Ethan exclaimed. "Hell, I heard there was even calculus on that entrance exam. You don't learn that until secondary school. And really get into it when you enter a university."

"Well..." Issei shifted uncomfortably, enjoying the praise but not receptive to the attention. "Sure, I guess."

He chuckled as Issei fell silent, but definitely more confident. Though his statements weren't necessarily accurate, Ethan deduced what made sense.

They arrived at the arcade not so long after, and Ethan was surprised at who was his date.

Hazelnut hair, and in Kuoh Academy's female uniform, Irina Shidou looked at Ethan with wide eyes of her own, ones that were similar to Sylvia's but far from as attractive, being a darker purple than the one approaching liliac.

_Where did that thought come from?_ Ethan scowled inwardly, knowing any attraction to Sylvia will only prevent him from getting the heavy payment.

"Ethan?!" Irina cried out.

"Irina?" Issei's day seemed to be filled with surprise after surprise. "You know Ethan?"

"Yeah, he was an instructor when we were in the S-" She caught his stare and quickly covered the explanation, since Issei was not involved with Sicar in any way. "He taught me a bit on defensive techniques while I was in school. I didn't think you knew him too!"

"I don't," Issei scratched his head, "I just met him today."

Ethan nodded, "We just happened to bump into each other on the way here. Struck up a conversation. Didn't think I'd meet you again after you left."

"Y-yeah!" irina nodded vigorously, "You taught me a lot of useful things, they came in handy over the past few months."

Ethan nodded and frowned, "That's great. I should be going now, I have my own matters to attend to."

Irina nodded, "Is your number the same as before?"

Ethan shook his head and pulled out two cards, "Just call this if you guys need anything."

Irina stared at the card and nodded. Same with Issei, "Thanks."

"No problem. Calling for anything is fine, lessons like Irina, chat, or hanging out is fine. Advice works too, I guess, but no dating. I never dipped my toe in that water."

Issei seemed confused at the details behind the business card, "Wait...isn't this-"

"For business? Yeah," Ethan responded, "But that's another thing altogether. It costs money and I mean a _lot_. Not to mention you shouldn't be using that business. Trust me when I say that."

"A-alright," Issei became nervous at Ethan's tone and tucked it into a pocket. "So I can call for anything?"

"100%," Ethan answered. "Except relationships. I can give guesses, but those will be inaccurate. I've never dated."

Issei nodded and Ethan waved them away, "Go on. Enjoy yourselves, you two."

"Nice meeting you again," Irina called.

"Thanks for your help!" Issei added. Ethan gave a thumbs up.

His mind prickled. Koneko was in the area. But where?

_Left_. Ethan cursed in his head. Forward meant running into a large road that went on forever with no alleys to duck into.

_But,_ he began to walk at a brisk pace, _her presence is gone. That means this is the right direction._

The prickling returned and Ethan knew it was the right choice. Moving confidently, he went all the way to the end, feeling Koneko closer, much closer. But now he couldn't tell the direction.

This meant Sylvia was nearby. Which was a huge problem.

Because if she sees him, she will run, and Ethan couldn't follow without putting Koneko nor the other people around in danger.

Through the chatter, he heard a young cat yowl and hiss. He turned, dread filling his body knowing he messed up a chance to follow Sylvia safely.

He caught sight of a white kitten on the shoulders of a girl with mauve hair, hissing in front of her. As the girl heard the commotion, she turned in that direction to look.

Ethan turned around and followed the crowd away, walking a few paces before circling around and following the scent Koneko left behind.

It was as he thought. Some supernatural were present, and Koneko not only warned Sylvia of their presence, but she diverted Sylvia's attention from Ethan. She was going to lead an attack on pursuers, and Ethan will help her pinch them, even if it meant his chance would slip away, dragging the job for a month, or longer.

After all, Koneko's safety is his bigger concern. There was no telling what'll happen during the fight.

Ethan trailed Sylvia and the woman following her, or which he perceived was. The woman he was following had striking blue hair, along with a maroon trench coat and miniskirt, her breasts poking out of the tight outfit.

_What is it with supernatural and their outrageous outfits in the human world?_

They wore things that made them stick out like a sore thumb, which is exactly what Sylvia is doing too. He wouldn't be surprised if that was how they found her.

Unless there was some type of magic to conceal their appearance, but he doubted that option. He could see their mismatched clothing and he sure as hell didn't have any protection against suggestion magic or Genjutsu.

It might be they looked young enough to seem like popular teenagers in their highschool and college years.

Possibly.

Ethan saw Sylvia pull into a restaurant and sighed. It was now or never. Walk in and become a target, or retreat and reassess his plans. _Maybe there is a third option_, Ethan thought to himself as he looked through the window, seeing Sylvia peer through it as the supernatural with blue hair take a seat at a table nearby.

Ethan stood, waiting through the crowd and saw a mismatched couple. A man bundled and hidden in a grey trench coat accompanied by a tiny girl with blonde hair and a maid outfit were waiting nearby outside the restaurant.

_These supernatural really are terrible at subtlety,_ he thought, his mind wandering to a paramilitary team he worked with for some time in the past.

While they weren't the best at avoiding creating a shit storm, they were great at their job.

As in, they didn't get people's heads turning as they wondered what the hell they were doing on this sunny day.

Compared to these amateurs.

There didn't seem to be any more people after her, so Ethan sat on a nearby bench, regretting he didn't get a lunch. The thought had just passed his head when Sylvia passed by him, too close. He didn't even see her leave, which was a bad sign. He shouldn't be absorbed in his thoughts at a time like this.

"I counted 2 more, 3 total," he said as she came close.

She made no outward reaction, but her hand squeezed his shoulder, glad for an ally. Sylvia even gave him lunch, dropping the bag of food on his lap.

He chewed through the hamburger quickly, taking at most five bites before forcing himself to choke down the chunk of food.

He waited as he took a second bite of the burger, praying the supernatural took a long pause before pursuing.

No such luck. He had swallowed and began his third bite when the Trenchcoat and Midget slid through the crowd.

He finished two third of the burger when Secretary passed him.

He ate half of the last third and ate quickly, before shoving in the final bit and standing up, chewing.

The entire group retreated down to the Breeze of Hokkaido, the park that was very close to the plaza.

As he entered the perimeter, he knew this was the endgame.

Sylvia had set up a barrier on the spot, and it impressed him she could do it so quickly, even more so that the barrier was easily on par with Garo's protection of the World's End.

So was the expected power of the former heiress of Gremory.

Something to be amazed at, yet so disregarded just because she wasn't able to inherit the Power of Destruction.

It wasn't fair.

Ethan dropped his duffle on a bench and took out his katana from the oversized bag.

Sylvia was running to him, Koneko in her arms.

"Koneko!" Sylvia slowed, confused but the kitten jumped off her arms and darted to Ethan as he gripped the hilt. "Get down!"

She saw his movement and he saw the betrayal on her face, a mix of shock, disbelief, and anger.

"DOWN!" He screamed as he sprinted at her and Sylvia dropped, rolling towards him as Ethan thrust the sword forward as fast as he drew it, cutting outward when he landed a deep gasp into the Secretary's face, the final movement cutting her ear and her hair on the left side of her face.

"Kalawarner!" Midget screamed and the dark wings that sprouted from the woman's back flapped furiously as she flew back, a considerably safe distance from Ethan.

Koneko trotted up to Ethan, "...I was wondering when you would come."

"Didn't you say you would only mark Sylvia?"

Sylvia grabbed his arm, "Might I add that I had a feeling the kitten belonged to someone?"

Ethan only smirked and looked away towards Koneko for her answer, "I like her."

He rolled his eyes, "More like you want to ask her about something after getting on her good side."

"I'm right here," Sylvia pouted, an adorable puff of her cheeks as if she were a child.

"I know," he answered, drawing his eyes around. "There's another man. Wearing a full trench coat."

Sylvia nodded, and for the first time since he met her, she sprouted wings, a horrendous sound of bones snapping and muscles tearing as she did so, the bat-like wings spreading open with its twisted look, and took to the skies. "Alright. I was going to have some fun with these two, but you completely ruined my day."

Ethan saw the monster within, the tortured and broken woman break forth, ready to unleash the anger she built within. "I'll take my anger out on you."

She snapped her fingers and a literal wall of magic circles appeared, the size of a wall on a two-story building, and shot forth an array of magic, from lightning strikes to beams of pure destruction, at the two Fallen Angels before her.

They dodged and Sylvia barked a laugh, clenching her fist and bringing it up to her chin, which caused the torent of magic to explode on the spot, engulfing the Fallen in a cloud of fire, electricity, acid, and various other elements not safe to be surrounded by.

They dove out of the cloud, bleeding and bare as their clothing was melted and/or burned off.

"Guard Sylvia," Ethan said to Koneko before he dashed closer, drawing the katana to launch a blade right at Kalawarner, before thrusting at Midget, both strikes connecting.

Kalawarner felt her arm go numb and looked at it in shock as the left arm fell off, and her visage became dark, "Fucking meddling human."

She raised a hand as blood spilled from a newfound wound in Midget's chest, as the strike from the Iaijutsu found its target.

Fortunately for her, it was a clean wound, missing vitals. The spear in Kalawarner's hand exploded before she could throw it, and she clicked her tongue as she now faced two enemies.

"Damn you guys," a voice muttered. "We found the Red Dragon Emperor and the Disgraced Duchess. A jackpot of the century and you can't be more serious?"

The newcomer was clad in straps, showing nothing but skin and covering only the lewdest parts of the body.

Her dark hair descended once she stopped moving and she pointed at Ethan, "Human, step away from this battle and you won't die today. I only care about the Disgraced Duchess and that boy from Kuoh who has the Boosted Gear."

_Boy from Kuoh? I know of only..._

"The brunette?"

The newcomer's eyes widened and she scowled viciously, "Do not attempt to get in my way. I will kill you."

Ethan nodded, "It would be smarter if you kill first and talk later."

She smiled, before having her shoulder struck by a weapon, just as Issei and Irina appeared on the far side of the park.

"Get the boy," Leader snarled and the two Fallen approached. Ethan ran, and Leader fired several projectiles, but Ethan simply cut them down before Sylvia knocked the Fallen down, who was then grappled by Koneko, who began binding her arms.

"Irina!" Ethan shouted at the sight of movement appearing out of nowhere, but the girl was already in action, subduing Trenchcoat who had appeared behind them.

Issei was caught off guard and started to run, and luckily towards Ethan.

He slashed upwards, avoiding hitting Issei and shattered two spears made of light with his strike.

"What's going on?"

"Remember that business I run?" Ethan answered by asking a question. "This is what I do for a living."

Issei watched in awe as Ethan slashed horizontally, aiming at Irina who had met his eyes, Trenchcoat below her and likely unconscious.

She deflected the strike to behind the Fallen above, falling back from the force as it beheaded Secretary, but missing Midget due to her height.

"Wha-?"

She didn't have time to react as a spear pierced her side, through both her lungs and heart, killing her instantly. Ethan walked over to Trenchcoat as Midget fell to the ground, and felt for a pulse.

None.

He should have figured when he saw the man's neck loose and hanging.

Ethan turned around as Sylvia touched the ground, staring at her with his eyes narrowed.

"We only needed one alive. The leader."

He smiled, "Well. They were out to kill you, weren't they? They forfeited their lives when they took the job."

The devil smiled as she retracted her wings. "Can't argue with that, can I?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, I just want to apologize for the long delay. After a while of debating on how to rewrite the story from chapter 4, I decided I will begin rewriting it at a later point. Chapter 6 should be out by this month while 7 might undergo a rework. It'll depend on how I want to include Kuroka into the story. Plus, I feel her introduction and recruitment into Sylvia's peerage could be better.**

**Do DM me if you have any questions. I won't mind spoiling any details for this story, as this is my side project, compared to my SCP story. Not to mention I have no real grand plans. Just a story I want to work on with some very short arts.**

**As a final note, October 1st is Sylvia Lyyneheym's birthday!**

* * *

Sylvia squatted in front of the leading, smiling, "Hey."

The Fallen Angel sneered, teeth bared.

"We can make this easy, you know?" Still no answer.

Sylvia looked up for assistance, and Ethan stayed standing as he ground his heel on the Fallen's hands.

He would have squatted, but Sylvia was getting nowhere, and the fact the front end of her skirt ended just before mid-thigh would give him an even more clear view of turquoise undergarments.

An accident she might not take too kindly to.

Leader whimpered, but Ethan reached down and jerked her head up, yanking her along to the fountain. "Wait, hold on!"

He shot his head back and snarled, making Sylvia stop on the spot, hesitant.

Leader clawed her fingers on Ethan's arms, drawing blood and flesh, but he kept a death grip on the hair, slamming his palm on the edge and dunking the Fallen's head into the water.

He held firm as the Fallen struggled, and kept his hold on her head even as Sylvia fought Ethan herself.

He shoved her away and dragged out the Angel's head from the water, the Fallen gasping for air.

Ethan tilted her head up and snarled, "Give me your name now and why you were hunting the Red Dragon Emperor."

She sneered, but Ethan saw the resolve falter, and he took the opportunity to reply, "Suit yourself."

He slammed her face into the concrete, breaking teeth and shattering her nose, before letting her fight for her life underwater.

"You'll kill her," Sylvia said quietly.

"Just wait," Ethan responded and dragged out the head again. "Are you ready for Round Three?"

"I'll talk, I'll talk," she gasped, "Don't do it again."

"Talk, or I will," he said. The threat alone was enough.

"I, Raynare, was sent by Azazel to scout Issei Hyoudou because of his power within him. Just recently, I got the order to kill him and anyone with him at the time," Raynare answered. "It was by chance my team and I also encountered the Disgraced Devil."

Ethan scoffed, "You bit off more than you can chew, then."

The Fallen said nothing.

"Unfortunately for you and your team, you fought the most powerful Devil of the decade, along one of the stronger humans in this generation."

She whimpered and Ethan smiled, "So. Azazel, how ambitious is he to ask you to kill the Sekiryuutei? What does he gain?"

"You know we can use Sacred Gears if we take them from the owner, right?"

Ethan stared at her, "I see..."

Sylvia stepped forward, "One question."

Raynare looked up fearfully, silent.

"Did anyone hire you to kill _me_?" Raynare opened her mouth, but Ethan pushed her back into a dark, pulsating ball that enveloped and ate her.

He noticed the power a tad late, reacting just quick enough to toss the Fallen as a shield, saving him and Sylvia.

"Ethan!"

"Sorry," he cringed, "I-"

"No, it's okay," her voice grew flat. "Thank you."

"You don't sound grateful," he commented but looked up with her, seeing a red-haired woman float down, arms crossed under her breasts, blue eyes looking down in contempt.

_Ah._

"Sister, I'm surprised you're alive." Rias Gremory, the current heiress to the Gremory family and younger sister to Sylvia Gremory, called. The voice was sweet, but Ethan could touch the malice behind the voice. "What do you think you're doing, interrogating Fallen Angels without proper devices? You seem to be playing with death more and more each time I see you."

Ethan saw Sylvia put her hands behind her back, but they had an uncharacteristic clench. The anger she had from enduring years and years of abuse.

"I was doing just fine."

"From what I saw, you nearly died." The sweet, voice swam through the air as blood ran down Sylvia's smooth, white, hands. "It would have been so unfortunate for your peerage if that happened."

Rias had glanced at Ethan beside Sylvia and Koneko behind them. "Where would they go?"

"They aren't in my peerage," she growled. "I won't force them into something they don't want to do."

Rias either ignored the slight or didn't notice it because she began laughing, as if it was the silliest thing in the world.

"Not in your peerage, and you don't want to _**force them to work**_. Okay, whatever you say," Rias said when her laughter died down and smirked, "But do you ever wonder why you aren't even considered a devil?"

Sylvia seethed but Ethan gently nudged her, causing her to look at him, and Rias in Issei's direction.

At the sight of the delinquent, her eyes changed, and she approached Sylvia quickly. To her credit, Sylvia refused to back up. "You stay away from Issei. I will not forgive you if you bring him into your peerage."

Sylvia let out a bitter laugh, and Ethan saw the pain in her eyes, how meaningless the threat from Rias is.

"So what? You can _**force him**_ into your peerage and make him no more than a dog?" Sylvia snarled. "Less? You can't even treat your older sister well and you believe that you can treat an outsider _**well**_?"

Rias smiled, "It's because you haven't done anything worthy of recognition. Your magic prowess? Any devil is powerful in using magic, and you have so little mana in your pool you can't use them."

_Wrong,_ Ethan thought, _She knows magic on so many levels she could easily suppress any devil with the exception of the Satans. And even then she can take them one-on-one._

"Your oh-so-special hand to hand combat?" Rias scoffed. "What kind of devil needs that other than those who have no chance of using magic? Just like your cousin."

_Christ, _Ethan thought, _She doesn't even see Sairaorg Bael as __**her**_ _cousin. Hell, the technique both of them use can be mixed with magic._

Sylvia shut her eyes, and Ethan saw her hands trembling, wanting to strangle Rias and show just how useful physical strength is.

"Buchou?" _President. So Issei knows her already._

"Issei!" Rias' demeanor made a complete flip and grinned, "I'm so sorry that my sister made you go through something so traumatizing!"

Sylvia stepped forward and Ethan quickly reined her in, wrapping his arm around hers. She glared up at him, but he clasped his hands over her bloody ones. "No," he said quietly.

"But-" her face twitched but Ethan didn't budge. Sylvia involuntarily shut her eyes and lowered her head.

"The short time I've known you, you kept control and a cool head. Stay that way."

Issei looked over at Sylvia, "But she saved me. And so did Ethan. Y-you saw."

Rias seemed annoyed with the answer, "But if it weren't for her meddling in this world, you wouldn't have been put into danger, you know?"

"But why are people trying to kill her?" Issei frowned. "People that aren't human? What were those wings you had? That they had?"

And like that, Issei was introduced to the supernatural world. Because Rias didn't care to explain, Sylvia ended up explaining to Issei the basics if Devils versus Fallen Angels, and how peerages work.

Irina instantly went to Sylvia's side, which would have made up Issei's mind if it weren't for Rias being present.

"Issei-kun," she said cheerfully, "Wouldn't it be more wise to be in the same peerage as your club president?"

"But Irina is going to Sylvia's peerage..." Issei answered, lost.

"Is that your reasoning? Because you not being in the Occult Research club will pose problems, you know?"

Ethan knew that look and he had to get Irina and Issei into Rias's peerage.

Three people will be left unhappy, four if he was included, but Issei and Irina would be far happier for the next years to come.

He himself knew exactly how a popular student can ruin the lives of another student less popular.

Receiving it first hand was not pleasant, and the memories, despite it happening long ago, still riddled his mind, and he wished he could spit on the grave of those bullies, long dead years ago if he knew where to find their graves.

"Irina," Ethan said softly over his shoulder, "Join her peerage, and the ORC."

"No," she protested, "I don-"

"I know what you want to say," Ethan said.

Rias addressed him for the first time, though not by name, "It won't be wise for you to influence the decision Issei is making, human."

He kept calm, despite wanting to join Sylvia in her mission to strangle her younger sister.

"But Issei means a lot to you, and I want you to keep that relationship. Join Rias, and protect Issei, I'll find a way to get you both in Sylvia's peerage."

Irina looked over at Sylvia, who didn't meet her eyes, feeling like a failure for not preventing the outcome. She managed to choke out a single word, "Go."

"I..." Irina looked at Issei, who began walking her way, "Okay."

"Sorry," Sylvia whispered.

"Not your fault," Irina beamed. "I trust you."

Rias was surprised when Irina took Issei's hand in hers and approached, "We'll join you."

"Wait, I can't have both-"

Issei cut in, seemingly tired of an excuse. Though Ethan was sure it was because Irina mattered to him. The childhood friend held more importance than reputation, "If Irina can't find a spot, I think Sylvia's empty peerage can have one."

Rias sighed, and relented, "I'll make room, as long as there is room. Let us go, so we can make this process in peace without any distractions."

She looked at Sylvia with distaste and teleported the three of them away.

"DAMN IT ALL," Sylvia screamed to the skies.

"You can punch me if you need to relieve some of the anger," Ethan said. Sylvia looked unsure, tears in her eyes, as Koneko watched silently from the back. "I'm fine."

Sylvia screamed and hit him with her fists, spraying blood as it flew from her open wounds.

Honestly, it was a bad move. Don't ask someone who lifted weights to punch you in the stomach.

He was almost sure she broke a rib, but since he felt nothing actually broken, Ethan didn't bring it up.

Sylvia sobbed into his shirt as she held it tight, beating him with ever weakening strikes. "I fucking _**despise**_ Rias."

"Not sister?"

"_**That scheming bitch is no sister of mine,**_" Sylvia growled so fiercely Ethan thought he made a poor choice joking when the wound was fresh, but she seemed to catch herself and realize his jab. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

He put his finger to her lips, "I know. I understand. Poor joke."

Sylvia flashed a canine smile, "That's a great joke. Rias? My sister? _**HA!**_"

Ethan smiled as hers faded and she looked concerned, "How are you going to get Irina and Issei free from Rias, though?"

"Simple. I hear you can give and trade pieces in peerages. I join yours and help you fight in a Rating Game."

Sylvia shook her head, "I can't ask you to do that!"

"You're not _asking me to_," Ethan assured her. "I'm doing it willingly, and I think Koneko would like to join in."

Sylvia glanced over, uncertain, seeing the tiny teenager smile for the first time, "...Sounds like fun."

"I..." Sylvia said softly, "I need to pay you back."

"Bah," Ethan scoffed, "Give Koneko the fifty million or hand some if the cash over to the Sicar. You'll earn their undying gratitude, they'll even support you for favors."

"So a bribe?" Ethan grinned at her question, leaving that unanswered.

"Only thing I ask is for you to cancel that job. It'll be difficult to work in your peerage if I have to kill you."

He only meant that jokingly but she nodded as if that made sense. "And a reward too."

"Screw money," Ethan laughed. "Having the satisfaction of seeing Rias lose her peerage is enough."

Sylvia looked at him thoughtfully and leaned forward, pressing her lips on his, catching Ethan completely off-guard.

She pulled away and cupped his cheeks, glancing at Koneko who was watching impassively. A cat only watching the show of love blooming.

"Ethan, I think your reward needs to be more than just money at this point."

He gave her a quick side-eye before pointing at her hands, "Let's get this treated." Sylvia glanced down at her hands before bringing them to her side.

"I'm okay."

Ethan stopped her with an arm and glared down, a gaze she returned for a long time before retreating. "Okay..."

* * *

They sat and waited as Sylvia cast healing magic on her wounds.

"I think it's fortunate you know this," Ethan commented. "That wound is pretty horrendous."

She couldn't blame him, truth be told. While it wasn't Rias's fault either, she could have supported Sylvia instead of reveling in her glory of inheriting a power she couldn't even use _**properly**_.

Then again, in Rias' own words, "_As a Devil who can't use the Power of Destruction, who is she judge someone who can?_"

She stared at her bare hands, which were becoming slightly red from the wounds that healed.

Imperfect healing.

Ethan patted her shoulder lightly, "Don't worry-"

Sylvia nodded, "I'm fine."

He nodded and stood up, finished cleaning up the mess. Garo was just returning to the bar after conferring with the chefs in the kitchen and smiled at Ethan, "Finished? Alright, what was it that you wanted to speak to me about?"

Ethan pointed to Sylvia with his thumb, "Sylvia Lyyneheym, Koneko Toujou, and I, Ethan Sakamoto, will be creating a new family in the Underworld. She created an offer stating a long-term proposition of hiring us to make the Lyyneheym family as a prominent family, competing with the 72 Pillars."

**Ordered June 13th**

_Request: Establishment of the Lyyneheym family under the Duchess Sylvia Lyyneheym_

_Details: After the official creation with the aid of Magician Curie and the Four Great Satans, the Lyyneheym family will become an influence on Devil society within ten years, during that time it will be recognized as an official noble family._

Garo looked across the table at Ethan, who had his palms flat on the counter, as if preparing to stand. "Interesting proposition. Though one problem."

"What?" Ethan asked, surprised as Sylvia shot her head his way. He had acted so confident in his plan it seemed he might have overlooked an issue.

"You hadn't resolved the issue of killing Sylvia Lyyneheym."

_Oh,_ she breathed a sigh of relief.

Sylvia, who was seated to Ethan's right, smiled, "Garo, you made a mistake." He raised an eyebrow curiously at her statement. "I had the mission specifically to kill Sylvia Gremory, which is my real name. _However_, I gave myself the Lyyneheym surname once I...left the presence of my family, you guys made the order, but included both my names. I had only asked for Sylvia Gremory.

"If you accept, the deal of killing Sylvia Gremory is done. She is dead and will no longer exist. Sylvia Lyyneheym will be the one to run the Lyyneheym family, and have no influence by the Gremory family."

Garo let out a frown, shaking his head, "A sly one, a sly one. You two don't mind if you stay with her for an indeterminate period of time?"

Ethan shook his head, "As long as you let me know if I can be hired for contracts. We can definitely use a steady source of income. The Devils won't accept Sylvia back so soon."

"I'll confer with Curie. Koneko?"

She nodded, "I want to work with Sylvia."

"So no issues with both parties. Will you two be leaving soon?" Ethan and Sylvia gave each other a look.

"We'll return to the Underworld once Curie contacts someone to create and announce a family."

"Alright. And the payment?" Sylvia slid a nondescript card over, "Just charge the correct amount and then take thirty million donations from me."

Garo slid his eyes over to Ethan, "You told her."

It was a statement, not a question. Ethan kept his face blank, "I only suggested she donate to the Sicar if she wished to give any gratitude. We settled that my payment would simply be five million USD. Fifty is just too much for me to use."

Garo seemed uncertain but he nodded, "Alright then, please wait a moment as I go through the processes."

Sylvia tugged on Ethan's sleeve, "Is there something you're not telling me about the donation? Garo seemed a bit betrayed."

"Nothing," Ethan smiled. "It's only a donation as a gesture."

She tucked her hair behind her ear, understanding some secrets should be left untouched. "Fine..." Sylvia looked up at him as she adjusted her skirt, seeing it was kicking up a little from her position.

She had noticed Ethan's eyes glance for the briefest of moments and felt self-conscious about his piercing gaze. She didn't intend to pick a certain color for him today, but she wasn't sure what his gaze meant. "Ethan, thanks again. You didn't have to do any of this."

"I know," he smiled. "It would have been easier to kill you, but since when did you take the easy way out?"

She laughed and lowered her voice, "I really owe you some personal favors." Sliding a hand up his pant legs, she stopped on the thigh. "Some I think you'd really enjoy."

He ran a hand through her hair, "Maybe I will consider taking you up on your offer."

Garo returned and Ethan withdrew from Sylvia, getting away just as he gestured to Ethan, "For a little bit as we work out the final details."

Ethan quickly hopped out of the seat and Sylvia sat, shocked at his retreat. Her eyes finally settled on Koneko and the realization came to her.

There was a reason for his distance and she might be just that.

"Hey Koneko, mind if I ask something straightforward?"

Koneko gave her a look and replied, "...No, but I want to ask one thing back."

That took Sylvia off guard, "Really?" Koneko nodded once, "Alright. Are you and Ethan partners?"

"Yes." She felt her stomach drop. "We worked for a very long time together, and we grew fond of each other."

Sylvia didn't want to listen, but she knew she had to. It was rude otherwise and she wanted an answer from Koneko.

"He saved me from being thrown into the harsh world. Rather he took me in, trained me, and brought me into the world step by step," Koneko swayed, visibly happy at the memories. She paused and looked at Sylvia. "But we keep our distance, because we don't hold ourselves in the regards married couples do."

Sylvia stopped, suspicious. Koneko smiled, "If you treat him well, I will let you two become closer than even he and I."

The words gave her renewed confidence. It wasn't what she expected, but she would definitely take advantage of it.

"I see," she hated that she found herself smiling as she answered. Her emotions were obvious and she wanted to at least have the dignity to hide it. "That's great. Thank you so much."

"Mm."

"And you wanted to ask me something?"

"Where's Kuroka?"

Sylvia froze. _Oh no._

Sylvia needed to proceed cautiously. Koneko nodded, knowing short answers would force Sylvia to talk. "I don't know where she is."

"But you've talked to her. What did she say? What did she want?"

"She...didn't want you to look for her. She wanted to meet you when the time was right." Koneko shook her head.

"The time is now. I'm stronger, and we can have a family. You, Ethan, Irina, Issei, me, Kuroka."

Koneko's words made sense. Sylvia couldn't argue. Both of them knew exactly what Kuroka said, all three of them were present that day.

It was another factor in Sylvia's isolation and exile.

"Okay. We'll take the initiative and find her."

"Good," Koneko nodded, "So I don't need to tell Ethan you wanted to make my life difficult."

"Wait, that's blackmail!" Sylvia protested.

Koneko smiled, _Joking, like him. Like Ethan. Family, huh?_ "Just help me find Kuroka."

Sylvia ruffled Koneko's hair, "Of course I will."

"Girl talk?" Ethan said as he walked down the stairs.

"Yeah, girl talk."

"We're finding my sister!" Koneko didn't shout, but the voice she had contained more emotion than she ever had before.

"Kuroka? How?"

Ethan looked at Sylvia, his face scrunched up in confusion. "You know where she is?"

She saw the suspicion in his mind and quickly began to talk, but Koneko cut in.

"She doesn't know, but she is going to help." Ethan seemed unsure.

"I like the confidence, but how do we start?"

"Somewhere, we'll find her, with Sylvia's help " Koneko said with the same level of confidence.

Ethan grinned, shaking his head, "Yeah, yeah. Alright. Let's make that the first thing we do once Sylvia talks to her brother about the family."

Sylvia stopped, "What?"

He sighed, "We have to speak to the Satans, you know. Let them know you're beginning a new family and to be officially recorded for any tasks on hand. Not to mention your peerage. _**Us.**_"

Sylvia looked away, "You're right..."

"Did he mistreat you as well?"

"No," Sylvia shook her head, "No. He was understanding of my predicament, but he never helped. I don't blame him, though."

Ethan's face darkened visibly, "I guess I'll be giving him a talk."

"No!" she exclaimed. "You don't have to. He's a good man, better than my entire family combined."

"But not good enough," Ethan said.

Sylvia couldn't argue with that. It was difficult to.


End file.
